Sand-oistrsbuting device



Patented Feb. 22, 1898:.

9 2 W 0 d 6, Wm f 74 (No Model.)

J. J. MURRAY. SAND DISTRIBUTING DEVICE. No. 599,345.

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JOHN J. MURRAY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

SAND DISTRIUTING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,345, dated February 22, 1898.- Application filed May 29, 1897. $eria1No. 638,761. (No model) To ctZZ 2 071,071?) (It may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN J. MURRAY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sand-Dis tributin g Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view in central vertical section of a sand-distributing device embodying said improvements, the gate being open. Fig. 2 is a face view of the upper face of the plate, which is immediately underneath the gate.

The object of the improvement is the production of a device commonly called a sandbox, specially applicable for attachment to a street-car and specially adapted to distribute sand on the track upon which that car runs.

The letter a denotes the hopper which contains the sand. Its floor or bottom I) has perforations, more or less in number, for the passage of sand at the proper time. Four, each equidistant from its fellow, is a good number. Two of them (lettered b) are seen in Fig. 1.

The letter 0 denotes the gate, and c a handle for operating the same. Ordinarily a good plan is to have the motorman pull the gatehandle in one direction to open the gate and to have a spring close the gate when released from the motormans grasp. This gate has perforations cl, corresponding in number and size with the perforations b in the floor of the hopper. When the gate is shut, these two sets of perforations are out of alinement each with the other, but when the gate is open they are brought into line, so that the sand can descend and escape through both.

The gate 0 is confined vertically between the plate I), which is the bottom of the hopper, and the plate 8, which is immediately under the gate. I This plate e bears perforations 6, corresponding in number, size, and alinement with the perforations Z) in the hopperbottom, so that when the gate is open this plate offers no bar to the descent and escape of the sand. This plate 6 has another set of perforations 6 which are so located that they are in alinement With the perforations d in the gate when the gate is shut. Their purpose is this: When the gate shuts, the perforations cZ catch and carry with them a charge, more or less complete, of sand, which makes trouble the next time the attempt is made to open the gate, but the perforations 6 permit that sand to escape and thus avoid said trouble.

The letter f denotes a shaft which passes through the gate, the connection between the two being such that this shaft must have the same rotary reciprocations as the gate. Within the hopper this shaft carries stirrer projections g for agitating the sand therein. Eelow the gate this shaft carries the stirrer projections h for breaking up obstructions which may gather in the delivery-pipe 7a. In cold climates and in the winter-time such obstructions are often formed in the delivery-pipes of sand-boxes attached to street-cars, mainly due to the formation of ice therein.

I claim as my improvement- 1. In combination, the hopper with perforated bottom, the rotarily-reciprocating gate provided with cooperating perforations, the plate below the gate provided with cooperating perforations, the handle for operating said gate extending laterally therefrom, and the shaft adapted to be rotarily reciprocated by and with said gate, and provided with stirrer projections both above and below the gate, all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination, the hopper with perforated bottom, the rotarily-reciprocating gate provided with cooperating perforations, and the plate below the gate provided with duplicate perforations for and adapted to 006perate with said perforations in the gate, both when the gate is open and when the gate is shut all substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN J. MURRAY.

Witnesses:

CORNELIUS J. DANAHER, JOHN DUNLOP. 

